Today’s Operation Streamline was a “window” on the rest of the criminal justice system. Hundreds of other criminal courtrooms across the U.S. try, convict, and sentence undocumented migrants to years in prison, but few people know about it. With Streamline, many citizens have easy access to witness the en masse trial and to see how our country has criminalized the act of entering the country without proper papers. Prior to the mid 80's, most such acts were processed as a civil offense resulting in a migrant’s return to their country.

Of the 48 migrants today, 2 were dismissed and 1 re-scheduled. Together they will spend 3200 days in prison at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of $515,200. No one asked for asylum, medicine, or missed belongings. No migrants spoke at all. No country of origin was stated. Sasebe, Lukeville, Douglas and Nogales were areas where most migrants crossed.

Prosecutor Ausland, when questioned, said the new U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines, which went into effect Nov. 1, probably will not change Operation Streamline’s sentencing procedure, but said that he couldn’t speak for the government.